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fully the neceflity of preventing the danger, thatfuch 
buildings are expofed to. 
The conftrudtion of the fpire is fomewhat fimilar 
to that of an apparatus purpofely contrived to draw 
the lightning from the clouds, as it runs up towards 
a point, and ends in a metal vane and crofs, the fi- 
gure of which, as well as the materials that they con- 
ffft of, feem calculated to admit the lightning with 
the leaft refiftance. 
At this place the firft marks of it are feen : at H 
the top of the copper crofs, which is the higheft part 
of the building, the gilding is by the explolion partly 
torn off and partly difcoloured, fo as to differ re- 
markably from the reft of the crofs where the gild- 
ing is very well preferved. Some fmall pieces of 
folder are melted ; and all this part appears as if it 
had been expofed to the fire. 
The lightning feems to have entered here, and to 
have been conducted as low as the hole at A, by an 
iron fpindle twenty feet in length, and two inches in 
diameter; of which ten feet were furronnded by the 
copper ball, vane and crofs ; and the lower half was in- 
clofed in a groove cut through the middle of the folid 
ffones which compofed the upper part of the fpire, 
and reffed at A on the bottom of that groove, which 
was funk five inches deep into the loweft of thofe folid 
ffones : this laft mentioned ffone being three feet 
broad and one deep. The interval between the fides 
of the fpindle and the groove made to receive it was 
filled up by melted lead poured in between 
them. 
The lightning accumulated in the metal, having 
it’s pafiage towards the earth ffrongly refilled at this 
place, has in expanding itfelf formed the hole A, by 
burff- 
